Bridge-gate



(No Model.)

G. TURNER.

BRIDGE GATE. No. 417,293; Patented Dec. 17, 1889.

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N. PETERS. PhnwLilhogmpher, wahingmn. n. c.

iVi Z/z asses of the weights for balancing the gate.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE TURNER, OF BRAID\VOOD, ILLINOIS.

BRIDGE-GATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 417,293, dated December 1'7, 1889.

Application filed February 27, 1889- Serial No. 301,353- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, GEORGE TURNER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Braidwood, in the county of ill and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bridge-Gates, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference thereon, forming apart of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan of a section of a swing-bridge and a portion of one of the roadway approaches, and a top plan of a sliding gate, showing the gate across the roadway and the bridge swung to the position it would be in when first engaging the gate to move it to one side of the roadway and open the bridge to travel. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the bridge and gate, showing the bridge open to travel and the gate moved to one side of the roadway. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one Fig. 4. is a perspective view of one of the auxiliary weights for loading the chain-weights alternately to balance the accumulated weight of the chains when the gates open and close. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of one of the gates, looking at it from the bridge. Fig. 6 is an end elevation of one of the gates and its supporting-beams, and a side elevation of a portion of the bridge and a side view of the arms for connecting said gate and bridge; and Fig. 7 is a horizontal section of Fig. 4. on line 1, looking down, showing a loop secured to the gate near its lower part for inclosing a rodguide for preventing lateral movement of the gate.

The object of this invention is to furnish cheap and effective gates for closing the roadway approaches to swing-bridges when the bridge is closed to travel.

Referring to the drawings, B represents an ordinary swing-bridge adapted to be turned on a central pivot to swing, as shown in the broken lines.

The roadway is supposed to approach the bridge at each end when the bridge is open for travel, and it is intended to provide the bridge with one of these sliding gates at either end to be operated thereby and open and close the roadway to travel.

G represents gate-bars, having their ends respectively secured to the long verticallyarranged posts D, the whole forming a gate.

chains respectively attach to weights R, which weights and chains balance the gate and cause it to move in a firm steady manner and prevent it from moving from any slight cause when disconnected from the bridge. It is obvious that when the gate is nearly opened or nearly closed the weight of the overhanging chain would cause the gate to gain in speed as it approached its terminus in either direction. In order to overcome such accelerated movement of the gate, the weights R respectively take up auxiliary weights R to loadthe weights R heavier at the time the gate has neared its terminus in either direction, as shown in Fig. 4.

The weights B have apertures Z through them, through which the chains pass and into which the stem Z of the weights R enter, as shown, and are flanged at Z so that they may be supported by said flanges in an aperture in theouter ends of the arms a a, and so that they may be arrested and held by said arms when the weights R descend below them.

The gate G is provided 011 its side toward the bridge 13 with a pair of horizontally-extending arms P and P, the arm P being arranged above and at one side of arm P, and islonger than arm P. These arms are attached to the side of the gate, at or near its forward end, as shown.

The bridgeB is provided with a pair of vertically-arranged arms V and V, secured to the bridge at some convenient point, so that they will respectively engage the arms P and P, secured to the gate. The arm V is longer than arm V, and is arranged to stand a little back of and at one side of arm V, as shown.

"When the bridge is open for travel, the arms V V, which are secured to the bridge, stand between the extending arms PP of the gates, as shown in Fig. 2. When the bridge turns to the position shown in Fig. 1, it will move the gate laterally across the roadway to the position shown in Fig-D5, the arms P 1 and V V being adjusted as to length so that those of the bridge will become disengaged from those of the gate just at the time the gate has reached its terminus against a stop (I. The gate will be left standing in such position until the bridge returns, when it will be returned to its first position (shown in Fig. 2) by means of the engagement of said arms.

The arms P and P are far enough apart so that when the bridge and gate are in the relative position shown in Fig. 1-supposing the -bridge to be swinging openthe pin V will have receded far enough to clear pin P, in consequence of its receding travel due to its rotation, and the bridge will swing clear of the gate-arms, leaving the gate standing across the roadway while the bridge is closed to travel. On return of the bridge, pin V will clear pin P and pin V will engage pin P, and the bridge will move the gate to the position shown in Fig. 2, to one side of the roadway, leaving the bridge and its roadway approaches open to travel.

The arms P and P of the gate are of the proper length to permit their engagement and disengagement with those of the bridge at the proper time to operate the gate, as stated.

The longer and shorter arms respectively engage each other, which is necessary, for if the arms were all of the same length they could not be made to engage and disengage so readily and at the proper time.

Such a gate and its appurtenances are arranged at each end of the bridge, so that when the bridge is turned it will operate each gate simultaneously to open or close the roadway. The bridge may have such arms secured on it at each of its corners, and the gate have such arms secured at each of its ends, if desired, so that the bridge could be turned in either direction and operate the gates, as described.

Such gates can be readily applied to any sort of swing-bridge without the necessity of constructing the bridge especially for them.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows, to wit:

1. The combination, with the swing-bridge B, having the vertically-arranged arms V an d V of unequal lengths, and the sliding gate D G, having the horizontally-arranged arms P and P of unequal lengths, the arms of said bridge being adapted to engage those of said gate, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination with the swing-bridge B, having the arms V and V, the sliding gate D G, having the arms P and P, the chains 0 c, weights R, and auxiliary weights R, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

GEORGE TURNER.

Witnesses:

Tnos. H. IIU'roHiNs, JOHN F. BRAY. 

